Nothin’ but a hound dog

To those who say “why not just leave her at home?” I must respond. Being my service dog, she has to be with me at all times and (clearly) she has taken advantage of that. Broshear was (IMHO) fantastic and had über-fans in the house, decked out in eponymous T-shirts, recording his every move on their smart phones and yes, swooning a bit over his growling, snarling, hip-thrusting (channeling Elvis on occasion) interpretations of country-cool. Original songs, mixed with great covers served to give Broshear the opportunity to showcase his great band and his own brand of swagger that will undoubtedly catapult him into the mainstream soon. Very soon. While he did acknowledge my presence, (and agreed to a photo-op), it was (for something completely different) really an excuse to snuggle up with you-know-who, and when I checked her Facebook page the next day, I discovered this note from him—to her. “Dharma, I just wanted to thank you for being such a great fan. I was so happy to have you in the audience and loved your cowdog hat. P.S. I dedicated my song ‘Where Have All the Good Girls Gone’ to you.” Charmed, I’m sure.

Imagine my chagrin when I noted that the next event on her (I mean my) calendar was judging a canine costume contest in Youngsville, NY (www.facebook.co/townegift), celebrating the Towne Gift Shoppe’s third anniversary. Fellow judges Kat Wingert (www.littlestarsfdc.org) and Brenda Seldin (www.petscancommunicate.com) joined us in the festivities, which included a visit from Dharma’s four-legged pals Mimi and Fantasia, courtesy of Denise and Ed Burkhart’s farm, “Imagine! Alpacas,” just up the road. The gorgeous creatures (www.imaginealpacas.com) seemed to remember meeting the wonder dog, (but not me) as she slinked into their enclosure and gave them a kiss, wagging her adorable tail. All of the dogs were a hit, while prizes for “Cutest,” “Most Original” and “Best in Show” were awarded before cake was served. Proprietor Kristen Fischer followed up by saying, “Thank you to everyone for an amazing celebration at the Shoppe. The support was overwhelming and we couldn’t do it without our friends and customers.” Several of the kids asked for Dharma’s “pawtograph” before our exit and next destination, Callicoon, NY.

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Jonathan Fox currently lives in Sullivan County. Having written for film and television, he now concentrates his efforts on novels, plays and assorted periodicals, along with his weekly "Humble Opinion" on life in the Catskills.